National Army Museum Newsletter

The new NZSAS exhibit In the Pursuit of Excellence opens in the Hassett Gallery in June 2010, and focuses on the formation, history, and changing role of the NZSAS, from its historical links with the Forest Rangers (1860s) and the Long Range Desert Group (WWII), through to its formation in 1955 and the squadron's overseas deployments in an ever changing world.

Like any family, 1 NZSAS Group's stories are part of the glue that binds them together. But for reasons of operational security, the activities and personalities of New Zealand's Special Forces have, until now, largely remained their own – shrouded in secrecy. This book therefore, represents another significant step in the peeling back of secrecy. It has an essential role in informing anyone with an interest in how this unit's special capabilities have been relied on in numerous deployments, over a range of environments, across the decades of its existence.

This book is available to purchase at the Museum Shop. Please use our enquiry form or contact us on 0800 369 999 to place an order.

The National Army Museum has been lucky enough to secure two very special Japanese WWII POW hand carved Alligators and a Snake, which are now on display in the Featherston Gallery on the lower floor.

From September 1942, Japanese who were captured during battles in the South Pacific were transported to New Zealand and held as prisoners of war at a camp near Featherston, where they were put to work. By early 1943 the numbers had increased to approximately 800. The majority of the Japanese prisoners were put to work in the surrounding fields.